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I mean, that's all true, but only in that every time you make a choice you rob yourself of the ability to make the opposite choice. That's what a choice is. I make the choice to go to work everyday, and I know I'll make that same choice tomorrow, but it's still a choice even if I always choose the same option.

I don't think it's necessarily in conflict, unless you mean in the way that opposite choices are in conflict all of the time. All he's saying is that he could choose to quit, but he won't do that. The portion about "could stop" is just further explaining that it is a choice he's making, in this case to not stop.

I mean its only a 200M so don't get yourself too wrapped up in phases, especially if it's not something you've run often (and it sounds like it might be rare to this point in your life). If it helps you to think about it like that though, I'd say it's really only 3: the start, the curve, and the finish.